Houbigant

About Houbigant

Houbigant is a perfume house that began in Paris in 1775. Founder Jean-François Houbigant placed a hand-painted basket of flowers above his shop on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. The basket remains a symbol through which the house tells the story of its beginnings.

History

In the nineteenth century, perfumer Paul Parquet joined the ownership of the business. His Fougère Royale, introduced in 1882, gave its name to the fougère family of fragrances. In 1912, the house presented Quelques Fleurs, a floral bouquet created by its perfumer Bienaimé. Over the long history of the name, the people responsible for the business and its formulas have changed. A current fragrance should therefore be understood in its own context, rather than assumed to be identical to a historic formula.

Philosophy & Signature Style

Today the house offers collections built around flowers, woods and resins as well as names drawn from its past. Some compositions evoke a bouquet of flowers; others explore the leafy and woody character associated with fougère. Looking at the stated concentration and edition helps distinguish the different ways a familiar name appears in the current range.

Iconic Fragrances

Fougère Royale is a reference point in the history of a fragrance family. Quelques Fleurs represents the idea of a bouquet in which many floral notes come together. Both names appear in the present collection in different concentrations.